Santula

A popular vegetarian Odiya dish, Santula is a distant cousin of the Bengali Shukto. Santula is the common man’s dish in the state and can be prepared mainly in two ways. It can either be fried (Bhaja Santula) or boiled (Sijha Santula). The vegetables that generally go into it are bhindi (okra), brinjal, potato, and pumpkin. Traditionally, these vegetables are boiled together first and are then lightly sautéed in little oil and other ingredients like garlic, onion and green chillies.

Bhaja Santula involves the two steps of boiling and then lightly frying the vegetables, making it a healthy option for most people. Due to the minimal spices and oil, the dish is low in fat and cholesterol, so much so that it’s often prescribed for patients too. Traditionally, Odiya cuisine uses a couple of spices that occur in most dishes. These include the Besara (mustard seeds mashed with garlic) and pancha-phutana (or the Bengali paanch phoron, comprising fennel, fenugreek, cumin, mustard and nigella seeds).

A medley of local spices and flavours, Odiya cuisine mainly uses Besara and pancha-phutana for specific dishes. While the five-spice mix is generously used in vegetarian delights and dals, the non-vegetarian dishes use garam masala.

The special quality of Santula is its judicious use of boiled milk. Once the vegetables are boiled, they are devoid of any acerbic taste or impurity. Dunking them into boiled milk then, gives the vegetables a creamy, meaty, dense body that makes for a sumptuous plateful. Served either with Roti (with a small spoonful of ghee) or rice, the Santula is the perfect one-pot meal that is both tasty and nutritious.

The concept of making a mixed vegetable dish came from the working class, who needed hassle-free, healthy meals that could be cooked easily. This led to the concept of mixing all kinds of resources and preparing them in one go.